These Reckless Hearts

by E. M. Moore

  My family’s legacy is always a hum under the surface of my skin, something that’s helped propel me forward. And right now, I can feel it vibrating. I wonder if this is how my dad felt all the time?

  I shake my head. I refuse to think about him today because I need to focus.

  “Ready?” the instructor asks. He’s the same age as Lucas and me with red stubble along his jaw.

  I step into the harness and pull it up. He helps hook me in and then grabs the end of the rope as I stare at the colored foot- and handholds that are spaced haphazardly up the wall and plot my course to the top. Lucas is already halfway up the angular wall. Seeing him work gives me courage. I’m not afraid of climbing this here, but I’m trying to envision doing this out in the mountains where there are no safety nets or pretty colored ledges or a beginner’s track I can start out on. That is intimidating.

  I approach the wall, rubbing my hands together, then place my left foot on the first hold, grab two other holds with my hands, and hoist myself in the air. As I get going, moving between ledges and pulling myself higher, excitement fills me.

  Lucas calls out, and I glance up to find him at the top already. “You dick!”

  He laughs, throwing his head back. “I was just going to say you look like you’re having fun.”

  “I am having fun,” I hiss, speeding up. There’s no way I cannot make it to the top now.

  However, just as I think I’m getting into a groove, I hit a snag. The instructor below starts calling out different ways I can make it out. I have to reach toward one ledge and trust I’ll be able to hold onto it while I get my feet on two supports. Easy, right? I swallow down the butterflies in my stomach and make the leap. My fingers clench onto the hold, but immediately start to slip. I scramble, trying to gain purchase on a foothold, but eventually, I fall back.

  I panic for about point three seconds until I feel the safety engage, and then I’m being held up by the miracle of straps and ropes. I kick off the rock face, pissed that I didn’t make it.

  Lucas careens past me and hits the ground in a superhero stance that I’m secretly super jealous of. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I glare at him. “Remind me why we didn’t start my training on this earlier?”

  He comes over, still connected to the hoists and wraps a piece of hair around my ears. “You’re so cute when you’re frustrated and mad.”

  “Obviously I’m not doing it correctly, then,” I half growl, frowning at him.

  His smile only widens. “Oh, you’re doing it correctly, I just happen to find you cute all the time, Wild Girl.”

  I push away from him before he can steal a kiss and return to the wall. The instructor stands at my side and shows me how I got stuck, telling me a better path to take next time. I analyze it, using imaginary moves to track the path and see where I made the mistake.

  Rock climbing is fun, but I am doing this for a purpose.

  I start off again, and this time, I make it to the top. Lucas is already up there, one leg swung over the side. He beams at me. “I knew you could do it.”

  I peer down where my instructor is smiling and giving me a thumbs up. “Yeah, but the actual rock we’re talking about climbing is three times the length of this and doesn’t have any fancy safety equipment.”

  “Well, just because the face is that tall doesn’t mean the cave is going to be at the very top.” He gives me a placating grin. “This is only a precaution because we know damn well if we find the cave and you don’t get to go in it, you’re going to be super pissed. We want to prevent that from happening.”

  “Aw, you know me so well,” I tease. I would never forgive myself if we actually found the treasure and I couldn’t bring it out myself. “Race you down?” I throw myself over the edge and grin through the split seconds of weightlessness until the bands pull taut. When I swing closer to the rock, I kick off and land on my feet, replicating Lucas’ superhero squat.

  My instructor gives me a high five. After telling me what I did great and what I need work on, he suggests trying the first path I failed to see if I can complete it.

  I accept his challenge and climb the wall until I get to my stuck point. This time, I make the jump, squeeze my fingers with all my might and flail around until my foot hits something solid. It’s more luck than anything else, but at least I make it to the top this time.

  After I conquer the intermediary course, Lucas and I take a small break. We’ve been here all day, and my body is starting to feel it. My thighs are killing me, but most of all, my fingers are sore from the strain. Joints I didn’t realize I had ache from all the gripping I’m doing.

  Lucas takes my hand and starts massaging my fingers. The round table we’re sitting at in the middle of the wide-open space gives us great views of other climbers. A couple of guys scale the expert level course—which has portions that stick out almost horizontally from the floor and then jut back in again. That’s the section that resembles the Superstitions in real life. I gulp, hoping we won’t find a cave worth scaling seated above something like that.

  “Can you do that one?” I ask Lucas, gesturing toward the incredibly difficult section with my chin. Just as I do, the bell rings out at the top of the course and the person below calls out the climber’s time.

  “Yeah, I’ve done it,” Lucas shrugs. “Honestly though, we’ve all gotten out of practice. Other things seemed like a better use of our time.”

  My chest squeezes. “Is that so?”

  He leans forward, nuzzling my cheek to whisper, “Way better. Much more fun. Much more...satisfying.”

  “Are you trying to seduce me in the middle of a rock climbing facility?” I tease, the thought of it turning me on.

  “What do you expect? I’ve been staring at your ass in that harness all day.”

  “Tell you what....” I bite my lip. “You climb the expert level track and I’ll make it worth your while,” I singsong.

  Shadows fall over Lucas’ face, making his honey-brown eyes spark. “In what way?”

  “I’ll sleep in your room tonight,” I offer.

  “Consider it done.”

  He pulls me in for a quick kiss, then shoves a granola bar toward me. “You should eat.”

  I pull my phone out of my bag while taking a bite. “I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Wyatt and Stone all day.”

  Lucas glances away, avoiding my gaze. He’s done that every time I’ve brought them up. “I’m sure they’re just planning our next trip.”

  I frown at him. They’re keeping something from me—I think. It may not necessarily be something bad, but the look on Lucas’ face and the way he checks his phone makes me wary.

  In the next moment, he grins, easing my worries. His demeanor smooths out some of the tension gathering in the pit of my stomach. If there was something wrong, we wouldn’t be here. “You ready to watch me knock this out of the park?”

  “You bet,” I tell him, shoveling the rest of the granola bar in my mouth and following him to the other side of the facility. He hooks his harness up, then starts. He’s light on his feet, and his upper body is super strong. If he had his shirt off, he’d be a masterpiece right now—dimples of his lower back on full display, rippling muscles that firm and tighten as he climbs.

  He scales the wall like an ape, swinging toward the difficult section with no problem at all. He rings the bell, and the worker at the bottom calls out his time. When Lucas returns to the ground, the employee says, “Nice, man. Quickest time today.”

  Lucas raises his eyebrows at me. “I guess that means I should get an extra special gift.”

  I shake my head, smiling the entire time. Lucas and I turn in our harnesses and start for the door. He checks his phone again. I happen to spot the restrooms off to the side—several co-ed ones with dark blue doors—and an idea quickly takes shape. They’re nice and private, and I did promise him something special.

  I tug on his hand, and he holds back when I reach for the door to the last bathroom. “What are you..
..”

  “Shh,” I scold, smiling from ear-to-ear as I shove him into the room and lock the door behind us.

  His eyes widen as I move his back against the door and sneak my hands under his shirt, fingertips smoothing across his overworked muscles. He groans when I tweak his nipple. “Is it time for my prize, Wild Girl?” he asks in that rich voice of his.

  I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him silent. He moans into my mouth while my hands work back down again, cupping his ass and moving him toward the ache in my core. He’s already hardening in his shorts.

  He breaks away, eyes glimmering with mischief. “You want my cock that badly?”

  I nod, squeezing my legs together. My panties dampen from his words.

  Even though we’re in a restroom, it’s the type you’d find in a private residence. Bath & Body Works soap sits on a marble counter with an undermount sink. A box of tissues rests on another ledge with a vase of beautiful flowers. There’s even a wicker bench off to the side.

  I yank his shirt up and drop to kiss his abs, making my way down to swirl my tongue along his belly button, tasting his salty skin.

  “What’s my prize, Wild Girl?” he coaxes, shoving his fingers into my hair as I trail lower.

  I work on removing his shorts. “Me.”

  He grins. “I already knew that. You’re my number one prize. But I want you on your knees with those lips wrapped around my stiff cock.”

  I stroke him through his boxers, my palm riding over his hard ridges as he leans his head against the door, hips moving in time with my movements. “God, Dakota, every time you touch me….” He works his fingers through my hair, squeezing at the nape of my neck before pushing me lower.

  I reach for the bench, snagging a sage green cushion off the top and throwing it on the floor below me to save my knees. I drag his boxers down with me until the head of his cock is straining toward my lips. I lick the tip, moaning at the salty taste in my mouth.

  He fists his base and, still with a hand at my nape, nudges my mouth. “Open up for me, baby.”

  I do what he demands, and he slides himself all the way in as I use my tongue to lick down his length.

  “Fuuuuck,” he growls. “Yes, give me some more of that.” A knock sounds on the door, and Lucas calls out, “Occupied.” He forces my head back around him, careful not to choke me. He knows my limits, but he wants to be in charge, too. When he’s like this, I get so turned on I can barely stand it.

  I replace his hand with my own, moving him toward me while he tightens his hold, rocking into me.

  I moan, heat swirling from my core like a rushing wave.

  “I love those noises you make when you’re sucking my cock.” He takes charge again, moving me over him. “Touch yourself. I want to hear it.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I snake my hands under the waistband of my pants and find my clit through my panties. I moan over his cock as I rub my bundle of nerves.

  “More,” Lucas demands, his pace steady. I flick across my clit, increasing the pressure until I’m sucking Lucas’ cock with abandon. “Jesus Christ,” he groans. “You’re so fucking good at this.”

  I’m lost in my own world of pleasure. I quicken my movements, and I swear I’ve given my fingers too much of a workout today because they cramp like crazy, but it’s so worth it. My orgasm builds from the base of my spine, spiraling outward. I coax it forward, my lips pressing harder against Lucas’ stiff cock while my hand trembles over my point of pleasure. Rising and rising, my toes curl just as I reach my climax.

  I cry out, the sound a muffled, waning moan because of the dick occupying my mouth.

  “Fuck. Yes,” Lucas pants. He rocks forward three more times, tremors overtaking him. I stop playing with my clit to cup his balls, and that’s when he loses it, hot cum hitting the back of my throat. The strangled cry he gives sounds surprised as he holds me on his spasming cock until I swallow every last drop. I lick him from base to tip on his removal, and when I sit back, he stays leaning against the bathroom door, involuntary tremors running through him.

  When he calms down, he tucks his dick away, pulls up his shorts, and yanks me to my feet. “That’s only a prelude to tonight,” he promises wickedly, growling.

  We take a moment to clean up until his phone rings. Despite the fact that he’s eye-fucking me through the mirror, he reaches for his phone immediately. “Hey.”

  His face falls. He meets my eyes again in the mirror, and a solid plate of ice forms in my stomach.

  Whatever it is, it’s not good.

  20

  The sound that comes out of my mouth can only be described as a screech. A squawk. Something almost inhuman. Have you ever watched a video where a woman completely loses her shit, but it’s entirely justified because the people around her are insane? Yeah. That’s me when I find out what the worried look was on Lucas’ face.

  I am the squawker, and I’m about to sharpen my talons.

  “You did what?” I seethe.

  Stone’s lying on the white couch that isn’t so white anymore. Droplets the color of dried blood pepper the surface like a crime scene. And it actually is a crime scene. Stone’s been shot but “not to worry because it’s just a nick.”

  That last sentiment was from Cole, and in all actuality, he might know what he’s talking about but that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed.

  Stone’s pale ass is refusing to look at me. His upper arm is wrapped in a bandage from his “bullet graze,” the dark crimson already seeping through.

  “We tried to recover the ring,” Wyatt informs me, arms crossed over his chest like it’s no big fucking deal that they tracked down Stone’s father when they know he’s heavily guarded by an expert team of ex-military professionals.

  “You forgot the part where you didn’t tell me.”

  A smug smirk graces Cole’s face. “I told you she was going to be pissed.”

  “You didn’t tell me either,” I accuse. My glare focuses on him, but it doesn’t seem to have any impact whatsoever.

  “I don’t answer to you. Sorry, baby girl.” At least his smile is apologetic in a get fucked kind of way.

  He’s right, though. He doesn’t answer to me at all. The thing is, I know the Dragons aren’t going to let anything happen to him, but my guys are a different story.

  When none of them answer, I breathe in deeply, my nostrils flaring. Seeing Stone lying on the couch like this makes me sick to my stomach, but it’s overpowered by rage. “I don’t need the ring,” I rasp. “What I need is all of you safe. You can’t be safe if you go off acting like fucking macho men.”

  Lucas opens his mouth to say something, but I spin to face him. “And you...you lied to me all day. You let me suck your dick when you knew they were risking their lives for something so stupid.”

  “On that note,” Cole mumbles, lifting from his position on the arm of the couch. “I’m going to see myself out of this conversation. I’ll be in my room when the talk about the dick sucking stops.”

  Lucas crosses his arms. He waits until Cole exits the room, then says, “Just because you’re mad now doesn’t mean you can take back wanting to suck my cock.”

  Arrogant ass. The worst part is, the tilt of his head and the way he’s still eye-fucking me makes me want to agree with him.

  Fucking hormones.

  I sit on the couch. Stone tucks his legs in so I don’t sit on him, and I drop my head in my hands, thinking back to the mess I was confronted with when I went to the mansion. I can’t believe they willingly went to Lance when they know he means business.

  “We did it for you.” Wyatt moves closer, taking Cole’s spot on the arm of the couch and dragging his fingers down my spine. “You love that ring, and it belongs to you. We were hoping we’d get it, without Stone getting shot, and you’d be praising us instead of yelling.”

  I shake my head, my curls falling over my hands and swaying in front of me like a weeping willow.

  “The only reason Lance has it is becau
se we urged you to take it out of its hiding place to begin with.” Stone finally speaks up, voice firm though a little scratchy. “It’s our responsibility to get it back.”

  “Your responsibility to me is to be my partner. Nothing more.”

  “I’m not going to let my father take something from you.”

  I flip my hair so I can stare Stone down. “And how’d that work out?” I get to my feet. “The last thing I’ll be worried about if something happens to you is what he stole from us. Are you three just too pig-headed to realize that? Maybe I’ll go on a solo mission to retrieve my family’s things. In fact, I think I will. I’ll go have a talk with Cole about that right now.” I spin on my heel, but don’t make it a step before strong arms band around me from behind.

  Lucas drags me back to his chest before spinning me around. Stone is half off the couch and Wyatt is two steps away, each of them sharing matching looks of fury.

  I lift my chin. “Yeah, how’d that feel?”

  “It feels like the last time you marched off without me to stop Stone’s wedding.” Wyatt’s glare flickers with pain, temporarily shadowing his blue eyes.

  Well, fuck. Yeah, I did do that. But.... “I told you I was going. I had to.”

  “We didn’t want you to worry,” Lucas consoles, lips brushing my ear. “We didn’t know Stone was going to get himself shot.”

  “Almost shot,” Stone clarifies. “It’s nothing.”

  “So, what happened?” I break free of Lucas’ grip and stand at his side so I can watch the three of them. “Where’s Lance?”

  Wyatt slumps back onto the couch. “Cole found out he was lying low in his Phoenix office. He’s had his people watching the building. All intel pointed to the fact that no one was going to be there, but evidently, Lance has more people than we figured because when we showed up, there was a slight scuffle and Stone got…injured. We naively believed that since Stone used to be a regular at the office that no one would bat an eye to him showing up. However, Lance let all of his old employees go. The whole floor has new personnel who didn’t recognize him.”